Category: General interest
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How schools and teachers can benefit from social media
Do teachers use Twitter? According to a recent post, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’! Steven Payne recently asked teachers whether they used Twitter, via the social network. The tweet attracted more than 1,500 likes and over 100 comments. Clearly, teachers consider Twitter to be a valuable method of interacting and sharing ideas with their…
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Robocouriers are making millions of books at the National Library of Australia accessible
For more than 100 years, each book published in Australia has been collected by the National Library of Australia. It is quite a task, with the library holding millions of books and more than 28,000 titles from Oxford University Press alone. This old process has been given a futuristic update with the arrival of four…
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Word of the Month – January: Pinkie
Pinkie: noun a baby marsupial that has not yet grown fur, and is too young to leave its mother’s pouch. THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD OF THE MONTH Winter months in Australia see a rise in the number of vehicles colliding with animals, especially native animals such as kangaroos. This is due to shorter daylight hours,…
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The books we hope to find in our Christmas stockings
Is there a better gift to find in your Christmas stocking than a book? At Oxford University Press, we don’t think there is. Here is a list of the books that we’d love to receive on Christmas morning (loved ones, take note!). Sophie Rasic Although she’s been popular for decades, I hope to find more…
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Celebrating the anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth with our favourite quotes
To celebrate the birth of Jane Austen on this day (December 16) in 1775, here are some of our favourite quotes from her novels. “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.” Mansfield Park “The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel,…
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How dictionaries preserve and celebrate Australian English
Through the last 30 years, the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC), in collaboration with Oxford University Press (OUP), has produced Australia’s most authoritative and successful dictionaries, as well as a significant number of research monographs. This body of work has documented the rich history and contemporary dimensions of Australian English. Before the production of the…
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Behind the scenes in the creation of a new Aussie literacy icon
Oxford Australia’s new icon for its Reading for Comprehension series has flown out into the world, with the aim of teaching and inspiring children to read. But as cute as the sugar glider looks, its creation was not as straightforward as its designer might have hoped. Senior Concept Designer Miranda Costa said she was kept…
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Word of the Month – December: flog
Flog: noun (derogatory) a pretentious or conceited person; a fool. THE STORY BEHIND THE WORD OF THE MONTH A reader’s comment, published in a community newspaper in 2012, uses the word flog as an insult: ‘Lazy Phoners: If you use your hands-free on the phone when your hands are free, you’re a flog.’ (Brisbane MX, 10…